The present invention relates to a spud system for a dredging vessel with a longitudinal direction, which spud system comprises;                a spud carrier for mounting a spud therein in a generally vertical stance and which spud carrier is moveable with respect to the longitudinal direction of the dredging vessel for advancing the dredging vessel, and        a spud carrier cable driving device coupled with the dredging vessel and the spud carrier for driving the spud carrier with respect to the dredging vessel.        
In general a cutter suction dredger is fitted with a spud carrier that allows the dredger to be pushed forward when the working spud mounted in the spud carrier has penetrated into the bottom. Typical systems for driving a spud carrier include hydraulic systems and wire systems.
WO2006130934 shows a system which drives spud carriers by means of a hydraulic system. Such a system requires a complex hydraulic cylinder for driving the carriage.
NL 1011753 is an example of a spud system having a wire system with crossing wires. The crossing wires of the system may cause a number of problems during operations.
In circumstances where large external forces are exerted on the dredger due to sea currents, waves, swell or other causes, overloading of the spud and/or the spud carrier cylinder (which drives the spud carrier) is prevented by allowing the spud to move and thus give way to the overload. However in view of production capacity of the cutter suction dredger, it is important that the neutral position of the spud carrier is well defined and that, after removal of the overload condition, the spud carrier quickly returns to that neutral position. The neutral position refers to the carrier and the spud wherein the spud takes a vertical stance.
It is known for spud carriers to be held in vertical position by means of a wire system, and the overload protection can be realized by allowing at least one of the sheaves to move. As a result the spud carrier will rotate and give way to the overload. Simply connecting a gas spring (accumulator) to this wire system prevents overloading, but has as a consequence that there is no well-defined fixed position of the spud before and after an overload. Such a spud carrier system with overload protection is known from WO2006130934, wherein an apparatus is disclosed for accommodating a substantially vertical spud of a dredging vessel with a longitudinal direction, comprising a spud carriage which is mounted for limited rotation around a horizontal transverse axis, wherein at least a first and a second spring means is arranged under bias between vessel and spud in the longitudinal direction for the purpose of absorbing a moment on the spud carriage, which first and second spring means compensate each other in the non-loaded situation of the spud; and—at least one spring means is provided with a spring force limiting means for limiting the tension in said spring element from a determined maximum moment on the spud carriage.